Why the trigger can't work

I write the reg:^[>\s]*(.{2,12})$ and choose the color option is red.
when the output is :
abcdef

the reg can work the %1='abcdef';

but sometime it display
> abcdef

the reg can't work. The text abcdef is red color and > is white.
How can I pick the correct text I need.

Oh, It doesn't work on second output when I change the reg to (.{2,12})$ or .*

Does it work only with the text in whole line all is red?

Thank you.

The colour matching is on the first matching character.

I think the first matching character of the reg ^[>\s]*(.{2,12})$ for > abcdef is "abcdef". The "abcdef" is red . So it should be match. But why it can't work? Are there some thing I misunderstand? Could you explain for me?

If the line is "> abcdef" then the first matching character is ">" isn't it?

It's not the thing in brackets (%1) it is the first character of what the trigger actually matches.

The FAQ item I mentioned shows how you can test for colours further into the trigger.